Students who live within the district's boundaries will attend Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire; Stevenson is its own independent district, Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125.
There are two K-3 schools, Tripp Elementary School and Pritchett Elementary School, in the district. Pritchett Elementary School Dr. Matt Moreland, Ed.D. - Principal Mrs. Julie Cummings - Assistant Principal[5]
Tripp Elementary School Mrs. Tina Schenk - Principal Mr. Kevin Locallo - Assistant Principal[6]
Middle
There is one middle school for grades 4–5, which is named Meridian School. Early Childhood is also in Meridian. Meridian School Mr. Greg Michels - Principal Mrs. Sadie Meyer - Assistant Principal[7]
Junior High
The junior high school, grades 6–8, is named Aptakisic Junior High School, after Chief Half Day (Chief Aptakisic) a local Native American chief from the Potawatami tribe. Aptakisic Junior High School Mrs. Dana Tamez - Principal Mrs. Nicole Koren - Assistant Principal Mr. Jonathan Weintraub - Assistant Principal[8]
Meridian and Aptakisic are both Apple-distinguished schools, due to their use of technology like iPads in class.[9]
History
The district was originally split into the Aptakisic School and the Tripp School during the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Due to the growth of the city of Buffalo Grove, the schools united into one in the 1960s. Along with a united district came a brand-new school. By the 1970s, the school was unable to handle the growing city and the school was torn down and the Aptakisic School replaced it. By 1981, grades K-5 began going to the new Pritchett Elementary School. In the late 1980s, Tripp Middle School was built serving grades 3–5, at which point Pritchett Elementary served only grades K-2. Aptakisic School was then a junior high serving grades 6, 7, and 8. By 1994, Meridian Middle School was built to handle grade 5 and 6, while Tripp Elementary School became an elementary school serving K-4, alongside Pritchett.[10]
Expansion during 2017-2018 brought many changes. The district office that was a part of AJHS building moved to a neighboring building. The old district office was redesigned to be the sixth grade classrooms. A new wing was built for music, art, Spanish, band and orchestra. An Early Childhood wing was built for Meridian. Fourth grades from Tripp and Pritchett were moved to Meridian. Sixth grade moved to AJHS from Meridian. Tripp and Pritchett became K-3 schools. All projects were funded by a $18 million bond, approved in 2018 by the Board of Education.[11]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, D102 remained remote in operations and utilized online technology to facilitate learning. In July 2020, it was announced that students would remain in fully remote learning at least through Oct. 5 of that year.[12] For the 2021–2022 school year, the district began operating in a hybrid capacity, with some classes fully remote, some virtual, and some a mix of the two.[13]
In 2023, a new wing designated specifically for STEM was built out of half of the District Office, and in the summer of 2024, a link was built between Aptakisic Junior High School and the new science wing. [14] Currently, a new gym, dubbed the "Mega Gym" or "New Gym" by students and staff, just finished construction and dedication in September 2025, and a parking lot where Aptakisic Park originally was has also been completed.[citation needed] The link was originally announced to be located underground, but it is currently above ground.
As of 2025, these facilities are currently in normal operation for their intended purpose(s).
Electives and athletics
Currently, D102 offers Spanish, Band, Orchestra, and Chorus as electives for AJHS. In all of the elementary schools, there is a mandatory encore rotation consisting of art class, music class, and Communication Media Arts (CMA), which is a combination of acting, speechwriting, and content creation, and an Engineering class, called Project: Lead The Way (PLTW) in elementary school. In Aptakisic, the encore rotation is mandatory for sixth grade, yet is optional for 7th and 8th grades, and contains health class instead of art for sixth grade. In 8th grade, an Entrepreneurship class is included in the encore rotation. If a student does not take any electives in Aptakisic, a study hall class is available. Aptakisic offers many extracurriculars and sports, including, but not limited to:
Aptakisic sports teams have won state and nationals for quite a few sports, such as:
The Track and Field team had 2 kids who made state in early 2024 & early 2025.
The Scholastic Bowl team won NAQT nationals in 2017.
Controversies
Stabbing incident
In May 2005, a student of Aptakisic was charged with the stabbing of another former student in a French classroom.[17] She was eventually sentenced with 5 years of probation, after making an apology in court.[18]
Name change
In 2012, Aptakisic changed its mascot from Chief Aptakisic to the Eagles, due to the potential for issues of racial sensitivity and backlash.[19]
John Vastis suspension and arrest
In August 2014, a former public speaking teacher at Meridian Middle School (John C. Vastis) was arrested by ICE and Homeland Security on charges of receiving child pornography and persuading a minor to produce pornographic images of himself.[20] He was put on unpaid suspension following the accusations. In January 2017, Vastis was formally sentenced to 13 years for one count of accessing child pornography with the intent to view.
According to investigators, Vastis did not engage in sexually explicit interactions with his former students.[21] Vastis has formerly been recognized for his excellence in teaching, receiving a Golden Apple Teaching Award in 1997. Vastis is incarcerated at FCI Ashland and set to be released on March 18, 2028.[22]
Cold Rooms
In 2025, after the completion of all AJHS referendum projects, students have complained of “poor A/C management” by administration, specifically in the upstairs area of AJHS. Students have said to be “freezing” in the school. According to polls from the IASP (Illinois Association of Student Polls), 81% of AJHS students report cold classroom conditions in the upstairs area. Currently, the administration is trying to fix this, but little progress has been made.
Board of Education
The following is the Board of Education as of 2023:[23] Jordan Sklansky - President Pelleg Graupe - Vice President Vera Gaskill - Secretary Deepa Ajmire - Board Member Justin Parker - Board Member Melissa Rose - Board Member Jordan Salus - Board Member
In pop culture
Literature
Adam Levin's 2010 novel The Instructions is set at Aptakisic Junior High School.[24]
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